Field Notice: FN74113 - Cisco Jabber, Webex, Unified Communications Manager IM & Presence Service, and Expressway Series Foreground Service Types on Android 14 Affect Incoming Calls and Messages - Software Upgrade Recommended

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Updated:March 5, 2024

Document ID:FN74113

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Notice

THIS FIELD NOTICE IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" BASIS AND DOES NOT IMPLY ANY KIND OF GUARANTEE OR WARRANTY, INCLUDING THE WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY. YOUR USE OF THE INFORMATION ON THE FIELD NOTICE OR MATERIALS LINKED FROM THE FIELD NOTICE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. CISCO RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE OR UPDATE THIS FIELD NOTICE AT ANY TIME.

Products Affected

Affected Software Product	Affected Release	Affected Release Number
Cisco Expressway	X12	X12.6.1 and earlier
Cisco Jabber Software for Android	All Releases	All Versions
Unified Communications Manager	11	11.5, 11.5(1), 11.5(1)SU1, 11.5(1)SU10, 11.5(1)SU11, 11.5(1)SU2, 11.5(1)SU3, 11.5(1)SU3a, 11.5(1)SU3b, 11.5(1)SU4, 11.5(1)SU5, 11.5(1)SU6, 11.5(1)SU7, 11.5(1)SU8, 11.5(1)SU9, 11.5(2)
Unified Communications Manager	12	12.0(1)
Unified Communications Manager Updates	12	12.0(1)SU1, 12.0(1)SU2, 12.0(1)SU3, 12.0(1)SU4, 12.0(1)SU5, 12.5(1), 12.5(1)SU1, 12.5(1)SU2
Unified Presence Server (CUP) Updates	11	11.5(1), 11.5(1)SU1, 11.5(1)SU10, 11.5(1)SU11, 11.5(1)SU2, 11.5(1)SU3, 11.5(1)SU3a, 11.5(1)SU4, 11.5(1)SU5, 11.5(1)SU5a, 11.5(1)SU6, 11.5(1)SU7, 11.5(1)SU8, 11.5(1)SU9
Unified Presence Server (CUP) Updates	12	12.5(1), 12.5(1)SU1, 12.5(1)SU2
Cisco WebEx App / Client for Android	All Releases	All Versions

Defect Information

Defect ID	Headline
CSCwi50131	VoIP Socket Deprecation on Android

Problem Description

Cisco Jabber Android Clients and/or Cisco Webex Android Clients running Android 14 may be unable to receive calls or messages. In Android 14, Google updated how applications in background mode are notified of incoming calls and messages. The intent of the update is to preserve battery life. This update affects the way Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM), Cisco Unified Communications Manager IM & Presence (Unified CM IM&P), and Cisco Expressway Series interact with Cisco Jabber and Cisco Webex. Customers who are running Android 14 will encounter the following symptoms with Cisco Jabber and Cisco Webex that are running in background mode:

A Cisco Jabber Android client that is registered to Cisco Unified CM for calling and Cisco Unified CM IM&P for messaging will be unable to receive calls or messages.
A Cisco Webex Android client that is registered to Cisco Unified CM for calling will be unable to receive calls.

Background

Foreground Service Type will No Longer be Supported for Cisco Jabber IM and Call Notifications and Cisco Webex Call Notifications After August 31, 2024.

With Android 14, Cisco Jabber on Android IM and call notifications, and Cisco Webex on Android call notifications will no longer be a supported foreground service (FGS) type, which means that they will not be able to use FGS APIs to receive calls and messages from Cisco Unified CM and Cisco Unified CM IM&P.

How the Firebase Cloud Messaging Call Push Notification Service Works.

While Cisco Jabber Android clients and Cisco Webex Android clients operate in foreground mode, Cisco Jabber and Cisco Webex maintain a persistent connection to Cisco Unified CM. However, when either app moves into background mode (after an interval where they are not interacted with directly), Android terminates them, which prevents Cisco Unified CM from contacting either app directly. This helps preserve battery life on Android devices.

The Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) push notification service provides an alternative channel to clients that are in background mode. When Cisco Unified CM receives an incoming call for a client that is in background mode, it contacts the cloud-based FCM backend, which maintains a connection to the Android devices. The FCM backend sends a push notification to the device where Cisco Jabber or Cisco Webex is installed and the Google Service is connected. Upon receiving the push notification, Cisco Jabber or Cisco Webex is awakened by Android OS to process the push notification in the background, reconnect to Cisco Unified CM, and receive the incoming call. It has been a long standing Cisco recommendation to enable Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) for Push Notifications.

Problem Symptom

Until FCM the push notification service is enabled, customers who are running Android 14 will encounter the following symptoms with Cisco Jabber and Cisco Webex that are running in background mode:

A Cisco Jabber Android client that is registered to Cisco Unified CM for calling and Cisco Unified CM IM&P for messaging will be unable to receive calls or messages.
A Cisco Webex Android client that is registered to Cisco Unified CM for calling will be unable to receive calls.

Workaround/Solution

Solution

To fix the issue that is described in this field notice, upgrade to a fixed software release before August 31, 2024, and enable FCM Push Notifications. For the recommended system upgrades to ease the transition to the FCM push notification updates, see the following table.

Recommended FCM Push Notification Service Migration Schedule

Cisco Product	Release	Action	Note
Unified CM IM&P	12.5(1)SU2 and earlier	Upgrade to Release 12.5(1)SU3 or later and then enable FCM push notifications.
Unified CM IM&P	12.5(1)SU3 and later	Enable FCM push notifications.	FCM push notifications are supported with releases 12.5 SU3 and later.
Expressway	X12.6.1 and earlier	Upgrade to Release X12.6.2 or later.	Upgrades are mandatory if MRA is deployed.
Expressway	X12.6.2 or later	No action required.
Jabber for Android	All Releases	Upgrade to the latest release available in the Google Play Store
Webex Client for Android	Earlier than 44.8	Upgrade to Release 44.8 or later.	Release 44.8 will be available in August 2024.

For information on how to upgrade Cisco Unified CM, see Upgrade and Migration Guide for Cisco Unified Communications Manager and the IM and Presence Service, Release 12.5(1).

For information on how to enable and configure the FCM push notification service, see the Push Notifications Deployment Guide.

Revision History

Version	Description	Section	Date
1.0	Initial Release	—	2024-MAR-05

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